Conservation Innovation Grants

NRCS provides funding opportunities for agriculturalists and others through various programs. Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) is a voluntary program intended to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies while leveraging Federal investment in environmental enhancement and protection, in conjunction with agricultural production. Under CIG, Environmental Quality Incentives Program funds are used to award competitive grants to non-Federal governmental or nongovernmental organizations, Tribes, or individuals.

CIG enables NRCS to work with other public and private entities to accelerate technology transfer and adoption of promising technologies and approaches to address some of the Nation's most pressing natural resource concerns. CIG will benefit agricultural producers by providing more options for environmental enhancement and compliance with Federal, State, and local regulations. NRCS administers CIG.

Funding Opportunity

National Competition

NRCS is offering a funding opportunity to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies, while leveraging the Federal investment in environmental enhancement and protection in conjunction with agricultural production. The application period is now closed.

State Competition

NRCS offers funding opportunities at the state level to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies, while leveraging the Federal investment in environmental enhancement and protection in conjunction with agricultural production.

Integration Report

Integration Report (PDF, 15 MB) - This report examines the Conservation Innovation Grants program experience to date, looking at where and how grants were awarded, project results, and the process NRCS is putting in place to evaluate, replicate, and potentially adopt the technologies and practices for widespread use.

CIG Awards from Previous Years

Every CIG recipient agrees to submit a final report to NRCS that describes the performance and results of the grant project. NRCS uses these reports to choose which technologies and approaches will be integrated into the agency’s policies, procedures, and guidelines. Final project reports and other grant products are available via the CIG Project Search Tool, as well as project summaries and links to recipient and project websites.

Additional reports will be added as they are evaluated by the agency’s subject-matter experts.